Mikhail Vasilievich Pletnev (russian: Михаи́л Васи́льевич Плетнёв, ''Mikha'il Vas'ilevič Plet'nëv''; born 14 April 1957) is a Russian pianist, conductor and composer.

Life and career

Pletnev was born into a musical family in

Arkhangelsk Arkhangelsk (, ; rus, Арха́нгельск, p=ɐrˈxanɡʲɪlʲsk), also known in English as Archangel and Archangelsk, is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia. It lies o ...

, then part of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. His father played and taught the bayan, and his mother was a pianist. He studied with

Kira Shashkina Kira Alexandrovna Shashkina (Russian: Кира Александровна Шашкина, ''Kira Aleksandrovna Shashkina'') is a Russian pianist and pedagogue. Many of her pupils became significant pianists and competition prizewinners, including ...

for six years at the Special Music School of the

Kazan Conservatory The N.G. Zhiganov Kazan State Conservatory (Russian: Казанская государственная консерватория имени Н.Г. Жиганова) is a higher musical education institution in Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia. The conse ...

, before entering the Moscow Central Music School at the age of 13, where he studied under Evgeny Timakin. In 1974, he entered the

Moscow Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...

, studying under

Yakov Flier Yakov Vladimirovich Flier (russian: Я́ков Влади́мирович Флие́р; , 1912 – December 18, 1977; last name also spelled Fliere or Fliyer) was a Jewish Russian concert pianist and teacher. Flier was born in Orekhovo-Zuy ...

and

Lev Vlassenko Lev Nikolaevich Vlassenko ( Russian: Лев Никола́евич Вла́сенко; 24 December 1928 – 24 August 1996), was a Soviet pianist and teacher. Biography Lev Vlassenko was born on 24 December 1928 in Tiflis, Georgian SSR, Soviet Un ...

. At age 21, he won the Gold Medal at the VI

International Tchaikovsky Competition The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of ...

in 1978, which earned him international recognition and drew great attention worldwide. The following year he made his debut in the United States. He also taught at the Moscow Conservatory. Pletnev has acknowledged

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

as a particularly notable influence on him as a musician. Mikhail Pletnev 2017 (3)

In 1988, Pletnev was invited to perform at the superpower conference in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, where he met and befriended

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

. From this friendship, he gained the support to found two years later the

Russian National Orchestra The Russian National Orchestra (russian: Российский национальный оркестр) was founded in Moscow in 1990 by pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev. It was the first Russian orchestra to perform at the Apostolic Palace, ...

in 1990, the first non-government-supported orchestra in Russia since 1917, and became its first principal conductor. He and the orchestra made their recording debut on

Virgin Classics Virgin Classics was a record label founded in 1988 as part of Richard Branson's Virgin Records. The unit, along with EMI Classics, was acquired by Universal Music in 2012 as part of the takeover of the EMI Group, however the terms of the Europea ...

, releasing Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony and ''

Marche Slave The ''Marche slave'' () in B-flat minor, Op. 31, is an orchestral tone poem by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky published in 1876. It was written to celebrate Russia's intervention in the Serbian-Ottoman War. Titling It has been published various ...

'' in 1991. He stepped down as Principal Conductor in the late 1990s, but remained the orchestra's artistic director. Pletnev has made a number of recordings with

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

. His recordings are mostly of Russian works, though in 2007 he recorded the complete

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

symphonies. The first works he recorded were for orchestra, including

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's '' The Sleeping Beauty'', his Sixth Symphony and ''

Manfred Symphony ''Manfred'' is a ''"Symphony in Four Scenes"'' in B minor by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his Opus 58, but unnumbered. It was written between May and September 1885 to a program based upon the eponymous 1817 poem by Byron, coming after the composer' ...

'', and

Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...

Second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

and

Third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

Symphonies. Pletnev's recording of Tchaikovsky's First Symphony (Winter Daydreams) received critical acclaim. In July 2010, Pletnev, a resident of Thailand, was arrested by Thai authorities in connection with allegations of child molestation. Pletnev, who was released on bail, denied the charges. He cancelled appearances at the

BBC Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

and the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

in order to prepare his defense, but the charges were dropped on 28 September.

Awards and recognitions

* 1978: Gold Medal and First Prize

Tchaikovsky Competition The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of ...

Moscow * 1999:

Echo Klassik The Echo Klassik, often stylized as ECHO Klassik, was Germany's major classical music award in 22 categories. The award, presented by the , was held annually, usually in October or September, separate from its parent award, the Echo Music Prize. Th ...

(Skrjabin) * 2002: State Prize First Class of the Russian Federation by President

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

* 2005: Grammy Awards of 2005 Best Chamber Music Performance with

Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; Eastern Catalan: �ɾʒəˈɾik born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. Early life and education Argerich was born in Buenos A ...

* 2006: State Prize First Class of the Russian Federation for the year 2005 by President

Notable compositions

* 1978
Quintet for Piano, Flute, Violin, Viola and cello
* 1979
"Triptych" for Symphony Orchestra
* 1985
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
* 1988: Classical Symphony * 1997
Viola Concerto
* 2000
Variations on a theme by Rachmaninov
* 2000
Adagio for five Double basses
* 2006
Cello sonata
* 2006
Fantasia Elvetica
(First performance: December 9, 2006

Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur The Orchester Musikkollegium Winterthur is a Swiss symphony orchestra based in Winterthur, Switzerland at its namesake venue, the Musikkollegium Winterthur. The orchestra performs around 60 concerts a year, and in addition to orchestra concerts, p ...

Switzerland; Mikhail Pletnev, Conductor; Sascha und Mischa Manz) * 2009
Jazz suite

Transcriptions

* 1976: Rodion Konstantinovich Shchedrin: 2 Concert Pieces from „Anna Karenina“ (Transcription for piano) * 1978 (?):

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaiko ...

, The Sleeping Beauty (Transcriptions for piano) * 2003:

Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...

: Suite from Cinderella op. 87 (Transcription for two pianos)

Honours and awards

Lenin Komsomol Prize Lenin Komsomol Prize () was a Soviet annual award for the best works in science, engineering, literature or art carried out by young authors of age not exceeding 33 years. Komsomol was the abbreviated name of The Communist Union of Youth (Russia ...

(1978) – for high performance skills *

Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR The Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR (Государственная премия РСФСР имени М.И. Глинки) was a prize awarded to musicians of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1965–1991. To be distinguished f ...

(1982) – for concert programs (1978–1981) *

Russian Federation State Prize The State Prize of the Russian Federation, officially translated in Russia as Russian Federation National Award, is a state honorary prize established in 1992 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. In 2004 the rules for selection of laureates ...

in Literature and Art: ** 7 December 1993 – for concert programs of the Russian National Symphony Orchestra in recent years ** 27 May 1996 – for the creation and execution of the Jubilee Music Festival "Alfred Schnittke Festival" (1994, Moscow), Third and Fourth Symphonies, the Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, Concert number 2 for Cello and Orchestra, Concerto Grosso № 5, three spiritual choruses ("Hail Mary Hail," "Jesus Christ" "Our Father"), the cantata "The History of Dr. Johann Faust," ** 9 June 2006 – for outstanding technical skill and innovation in the field of musical art, which opened a new chapter in national and world culture *

Order of Merit for the Fatherland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...

; * Prize of the President of the Russian Federation in the field of art and literature in 2001 (30 January 2002) * 47th Grammy Awards (2005) – best chamber music performance

Selected discography

* *

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throughout his life as a major compo ...

Symphonies 4 & 10.

. PENTATONE PTC 5186647 (2018). * ''Tchaikovsky Selections''.

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

. Coronation March / Capriccio Italien / Francesca da Rimini / Romeo and Juliet / Slavonic March. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186550 (2016). *

Alexander Scriabin Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin (; russian: Александр Николаевич Скрябин ; – ) was a Russian composer and virtuoso pianist. Before 1903, Scriabin was greatly influenced by the music of Frédéric Chopin and composed ...

- Symphony No. 1 & The Poem of Ecstasy. Mikhail Pletnev, Svetlana Shilova, Mikhail Gubsky, Vladislav Lavrik, Norbert Gembaczka, Alexander Solovyev,

, Chamber Choir of the Moscow Conservatory. PENTATONE PTC 5186514 (2015). *

The Symphonies and Manfred. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186489 (2015). *

. Manfred Symphony. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186387 (2014). *

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, , group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

- Symphony No.15 & Hamlet. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186331 (2009). *

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

Orchestral Suites. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186362 (2010). * Maurice Ravel & Serge Prokofiev - Piano Concertos & Schlimé - 3 Improvisations. Mikhail Pletnev,

Francesco Tristano Schlimé Francesco Tristano Schlimé, stage name Francesco Tristano, born 1981, is a Luxembourg classical and experimental pianist and composer who also plays the clarinet. He composes both classical and electronic music. Education Born on 16 September ...

. PENTATONE PTC 5186080 (2006) *

- Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905" Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186076 (2006). *

Symphony No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 13 "Winter Daydreams" Marche Slave Op. 31. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186381 (2012). *

Symphony No. 2 in C Minor Op. 17 "Little Russian" Symphony No. 2 in C Minor. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186382 (2012). *

Symphony No.3 in D Major, Op.29 Coronation March. PENTATONE PTC 5186383 (2012). *

Symphony No. 4 in F minor Op. 36 Romeo and Juliet. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186384 (2011). *

Symphony No.5 in E minor, Op.64 Francesca da Rimini, Op.32. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186385 (2011). *

Symphony No.6 in B minor, Op.74 "Pathétique" Capriccio italien, Op.45. Mikhail Pletnev,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186386 (2011). *

Sergei Taneyev Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev (russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Тане́ев, ; – ) was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author. Life Taneyev was born in Vladimir, Vladimir Governorate, Russia ...

- At the reading of a psalm. Mikhail Pletnev, Lolita Semenina, Marianna Tarassova, Mikhail Gubsky, Andrei Baturkin, Vladislav Tchernushenko,

. PENTATONE PTC 5186038 (2004). *

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

, Domenico Scarlatti,

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

. Recital of Mikhail Pletnev (2019)

References

External links

Russian National Orchestra biography of Mikhail Pletnev

Interviews

* ttp://www.kcstudio.com/pletnev2.html Mikhail Pletnev interview October 27, 2000 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pletnev, Mikhail Russian classical pianists Male classical pianists Russian composers Russian male composers Grammy Award winners State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Prize-winners of the International Tchaikovsky Competition Recipients of the Lenin Komsomol Prize Glinka State Prize of the RSFSR winners People's Artists of the RSFSR Kazan Conservatory alumni Moscow Conservatory alumni 1957 births Living people 21st-century Russian conductors (music) Russian male conductors (music) 21st-century Russian male musicians